Bantam Cock
| Bantam Cock | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1972 | |||
| Genre | Folk, jazz[1] | |||
| Length | 37:00 | |||
| Label | EMI | |||
| Producer | Norman Newell | |||
| Jake Thackray chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [2] |
| Record Mirror | (positive)[1] |
| Reading Evening Post | (positive)[1] |
Bantam Cock is the third studio album by Jake Thackray. It was produced by Norman Newell and released on LP by EMI in 1972. Musical direction was by Geoff Love. The album is currently out of print, but its songs, digitally remastered, are included in the 4-CD retrospective Jake in a Box.
Content[edit]
Bantam Cock features Thackray’s voice and acoustic guitar accompanied by double bass and electric guitar. The album is notable among Thackray’s catalogue for its jazz influence and inclusion of electric guitar solos; Thackray’s output had thus far been entirely acoustic.[1] "Brother Gorilla" is Thackray's English-language adaptation of the French song "Le Gorille" by Georges Brassens.
Reception[edit]
Upon release, the album was met with critical acclaim from music press. Record Mirror said "quite simply, and not to put too fine a point on it, Jake Thackray is a genius...there are some tremendous songs on this", while the Reading Evening Post agreed, saying "yet another brilliant record from the Yorkshire tyke".[1] Retrospectively, Allmusic awarded the album four stars, citing the title track and "Sister Josephine" as "drop dead classics" and calling "Old Molly Metcalfe" the "most magical" of the album's highlights.[2]
Legacy[edit]
The song "Bantam Cock" has been covered by Fred Wedlock, The Corries, Alex Beaton and Jasper Carrott. "Sister Josephine" has been covered by The Clancy Brothers, The Barron Knights, Colcannon and Robbie O'Connell. "Old Molly Metcalfe" has been covered by Tony Capstick and The Witches of Elswick.
Track listing[edit]
All tracks are written by Jake Thackray, except where noted
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Bantam Cock" | 2:51 |
| 2. | "Fine Bay Pony" | 2:48 |
| 3. | "The Singer" | 2:04 |
| 4. | "The Girl with the Fragile Eyes" | 2:55 |
| 5. | "Go Little Swale" | 2:39 |
| 6. | "Jolly Captain" | 3:33 |
| 7. | "Isabel Makes Love Upon National Monuments" | 3:34 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Brother Gorilla (Le Gorille)" | Georges Brassens/Thackray | 2:54 |
| 2. | "The Girl in the Window" | 2:52 | |
| 3. | "It Was Only a Gypsy" | 2:31 | |
| 4. | "Old Molly Metcalfe" | 3:45 | |
| 5. | "Sister Josephine" | 3:23 | |
| 6. | "Lullaby" | 1:11 |
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e Thompson, Paul; Watterson, John (2022). Beware of the Bull - The Enigmatic Genius of Jake Thackray. Scratching Shed. p. 208. ISBN 9781838489984. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
- ^ a b Thompson, Dave. "Bantam Cock review". Allmusic. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
